The tragedy of sinking holes in Khutsong township in Carletonville, a mining town in Merafong City, has hit the Relebogile Secondary School. A large sinkhole swallowed part of the West Rand school on Thursday.
The incident happened as learners from the school had just embarked on a strike over school furniture, infrastructure and stationery. It is believed that learners were saved by the strike action as they were not at school during the sinkhole incident. As a result there were no casualties, apart from the damage to infrastructure.
Speaking to Sunday World, Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said they were aware of the sinkhole incident and deeply concerned about the matter, which raises further concerns of safety in the community.
“A Geo-Tech study has to be conducted to determine the severity of sinkholes and what future challenges are going to be, and what preventative measures are in place to deal with such challenges to avoid a natural disaster. All infrastructural challenges detected will also be attended accordingly,” said Mabona.
The sinkhole follows a trend in the community that has previously seen houses and roads destroyed.
Mabona said the Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) unit was dispatched to the school for intervention.
“We are currently in the process of identifying areas around where learners can be placed at various churches and community centres so that effective teaching and learning may continue.
“It must be noted that Merafong and Westonaria are dolomitic areas, each time there are earth tremors, sinkholes develop. We will continue to monitor the situation at the school,” he said.
Gauteng DID said Merafong Municipality has had 219 sinkhole incidents, with 77 families relocated for safety, and that the DID technical team was at the school for intervention.
“Sinkholes have cost the country over R1.3bn. Approximately 25% of Gauteng, as well as parts of Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West and Northern Cape provinces are underlain by dolomite.
“Sinkholes have already claimed the lives of 39 people in SA in the past 50 years.”
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